I had no idea what to expect on my first day. I stepped into the office and hesitantly announced, “I’m here.”
I was greeted by a big smile as Eric Paul, the new executive director, peeked out to say, “Come into my office, let’s get to know each other.”
Eric and I talked for a while about why I wanted to intern at WHMC and his journey to becoming its executive director — by way of peacebuilding and community development. Then, he summarized what I’d be doing throughout my internship.
During my time at WHMC, I learned how each of Hawaii’s many cultures shapes the nature of conflicts and, consequently, impacts the style of mediation needed. WHMC uses facilitative mediation to create space for two parties in conflict to move toward a mutually agreed upon outcome. This includes a joint session between the parties in contention, followed by two individual sessions. In a simple mediation, there would be an agreement outlined quickly and both parties would consent and sign it. In a more difficult mediation, there may be repeats of both the joint and individual sessions, possibly even on a different date. WHMC offers mediation for domestic issues, landlord/tenant, TROs, and other conflicts that emerge between community members. Their mediation services are readily available for civil court disputes in Kona and Waimea.
“I’ll be handing you off to Gina after lunch,” Eric told me, “and she’ll look over some cases with you.”
Over the next three weeks, I spent time learning about running a nonprofit from everyone in the WHMC office. I learned about mediation cases with Gina, grants and audits with Jen, and outreach and fundraising with Eric and the board.
I learned about how people request mediation. Gina’s explanation of the process made it obvious how preferable mediation is to using courts to solve a wide range of disputes. We talked for a while, then got to the work I had expected from an office internship. We scanned grants, cases and other documents for electronic filing. We flew through these while Gina offered an explanation of the intricacies of these documents.
The next day, Jen’s smile welcomed me into the WHMC office. In charge of the finances, she eagerly listed off the best parts of her job. I learned how she categorizes the many grants and donations WHMC has received over the years into “restricted,” “temporarily restricted,” and (the best one) “unrestricted.” WHMC is funded by a variety of sources: private donations, community fundraising events, grants, and contracts.
I also learned about the challenges of dealing with an audit. I heard stories of the deep dives into records auditors do as part of their job. Jen was completely prepared for the auditors, but there was still a tension in the process. We reviewed key takeaways and I waved her goodbye.
The next day, I shadowed Eric. After a review of outreach, necessary to recruit volunteers, receive donations and publicize mediation in Hawaii, we walked over to the Rotary Club meeting in Waimea to spread the word about WHMC into the community and give a Big Mahalo for Rotary support of the Peer Mediation program. During his presentation, Eric told stories about the successes of mediation. People were obviously moved by the message Eric brought. I witnessed the importance and effectiveness of outreach: it not only shares the story of positive change in the community but also stirs a passion for further engagement. WHMC has a small staff and relies on volunteer time given by trained community members.
Finally, I got to observe a board meeting at WHMC. Board members shared the reasons that led them to join the board, and I found there is a variety of backgrounds amongst these dedicated supporters of mediation. The meeting swiftly covered fundraising, website improvements and much more in a short two hours. By the end, each member had taken responsibility for a particular outreach opportunity. They’d made a plan for every issue that was presented and set the agenda for the next meeting. The strategy and ease of the meeting amazed me, though after all I had learned through my time at WHMC, it didn’t surprise me.
I learned so much as a WHMC Intern, but I think the most important thing I gained was something that I learned subconsciously. Each person’s confidence in and appreciation of the process of mediation spread to me. I found myself trusting in mediation and applying some of the conflict resolution skills I had learned to my own life.
I am grateful for my time at West Hawaii Mediation Center. I believe they are making a positive change in our community and, in combination with mediation centers elsewhere, they are making a positive change in the world.